The Ultimate Guide to Piercing Aftercare
Just got your dream piercing? What’s next? The journey doesn’t end after the needle goes through! Proper aftercare is essential to ensure a smooth healing process and to prevent infections. Whether it’s your first piercing or you’re adding to your collection, following the right aftercare routine can make all the difference. Here are six approved tips by your experts at Pierce Be with You to help you heal your piercing faster and keep it looking its best.
Keep It Dry
Just got pierced? Now you have to keep your piercing dry as much as possible. Avoid getting it wet for at least 5-6 hours after getting pierced. Make sue to also keep your wet hair away from your healing piercing as bacteria thrives in wet environments. It’s forbidden for you to swim in pools or any chemically treated water during the first few weeks of getting pierced.
Be careful in the shower
Keep your long hair away from your piercings, especially when washing your hair. You can flip your hair forward and down when shampooing to prevent chemical products from penetrating the piercing site and avoid getting your hair tangled in the backing of the jewelry. Be extra careful when styling your hair or going to the salon. Make sure to give your hairdresser a heads up about your fresh piercing to prevent pulling or tugging on the earing.
Clean with Sterile Saline Solution every after shower
It’s best to stick to sterile saline solution for cleaning your piercing and sanitizing your jewelry. This mild solution is enough to clean your healing piercing and help the open wound dry out faster. It is also gentle on the skin and does not cause chemical burns. It is not recommended to mix your own saline solution at as this might produce a solution that is too salty for your piercing and might dry out the skin too much. Cleaning with Sterile Saline Solution also helps sanitize the earring while being gentle enough to not cause any damage on the metal.
Hands off!
Avoid touching you fresh piercing during the entire healing period. This includes twisting rotating the jewelry to put in place. Do not pull on your cartilage to check the backing of the piercing, use a mirror to see behind your ear if possible.
Do not use cotton swabs when cleaning
We recommend using microbuds when removing dead skin or any crusties that form around the jewelry. This is to avoid getting cotton fibers into the piercing site as that might cause infections and irritations. For your simple daily cleaning routing, just flush the Sterile Saline Solution directly on your piercing site. Keep it dry afterwards by gently wiping excess solution from around the piercing site. No need to move the jewelry at all during this process. If you notice any debris around the jewelry, just use microbuds to gently remove them.
No pressure, please.
Avoid applying any kind of pressure directly on your piercing. This includes sleeping on your piercing and wearing headphones that sit directly on top of your piercing. This does not just restrict blood flow around the piercing site but also exposes your piercing to bacteria and irritation.